KID ROCK Biography - Musicians

 
 

Biography » musicians » kid rock

KID ROCK

Name: Kid Rock                                                                     
Birth name: Robert James Ritchie                                                   
Born: 17 January 1971 Romeo, Michigan, United States                               
                                                                                   
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971 in Romeo, Michigan), known by his       
stage name Kid Rock, is an American musician and actor. He has sold over 22         
million albums since the release of his debut album Grits Sandwiches For           
Breakfast in 1990. In 2007, Rock N Roll Jesus was his first album to debut at       
number one on the Billboard 200 chart, on the strength of its hit singles "So       
Hott" and "Amen".                                                                   
                                                                                   
Ritchie's career began at age 11, as a member of the b-boy group 'The Furious       
Funkers'. After the success of Run DMC and The Beastie Boys, he bought a cheap     
belt-driven turntable and honed his craft. In high school, Ritchie would DJ         
parties for beer. He eventually joined Bo Wisdom of Groove Time Productions, in     
Mt. Clemens, Michigan for a few shows. It was then that he was given his stage     
name; Wisdom dubbed him with the moniker 'Kid Rock' after fans had enjoyed         
watching "that white kid rock."                                                     
                                                                                   
In addition to DJ'ing, Kid started rapping and joined hip hop group, The Beast     
Crew, comprised of The Blackman, Champtown, KDC, Crisp and Doc Rounce Cee. Kid     
also became friends with producer D-Nice of the legendary hip-hop group Boogie     
Down Productions. When Rock opened for BDP one night, D-Nice invited an A&R         
representative from Jive Records to see Kid Rock perform. This meeting led to a     
demo deal, which developed into a full record contract. Against his parents'       
wishes, Kid signed the deal at the age of seventeen. Despite his new record deal,   
Kid had a falling out with The Beast Crew since he signed over fellow member       
Champtown (the two have since made amends). Kid later became part of the           
Straight From The Underground Tour, where he found himself alongside several       
heavyweights of rap including Ice Cube, Too $hort, D-Nice, and Yo-Yo.               
                                                                                   
In 1990, Kid Rock released his debut album Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast on       
Jive Records. The State University of New York at Cortland was fined $23,700 for   
airing Kid Rock's first single "Yo Da Lin In The Valley". The FCC banned the       
song because it glorified oral sex; this infamy brought more                       
attention to Kid Rock.                                                             
                                                                                   
However in 1991, a larger controversy hit the hip-hop community when it was         
discovered that white rapper, Vanilla Ice had exaggerated his upbringing in an     
attempt to bolster his street credibility. The deception was widely condemned,     
but a backlash against white rappers began. In an attempt to distance               
themselves from the controversy, Jive dropped Kid Rock from their label.